NBA basketball has drastically changed this year. Haven't you noticed? The way the game is being called today (no handchecks, lots of touch fouls, slight bumps) allows faster and quicker players to have more space, get in the lane, thus opportunities to score more. Just look at the regular season and you'll see three players averaging 30 points or more (Kobe, Iverson and LBJ, with Arenas nearly reaching 30 ppg ave too). This also explains why Phoenix can play small ball and have relative success(leads the league in scoring). And why Tony Parker can get in the lane at ease, and lead the league with most FGs in the paint (on 55% FG shooting). And why of the top 10 scorers, only two are forwards, Nowitzki and Carmelo, and they aren't considered inside players but perimeter players. This is also the reason why slower players, just couldn't keep up and more often than not, are in foul trouble (eg Shaq, also see stats in foul dept, almost all of them are centers/big men trying to protect the lane). The NBA has done a good job putting more points in the board, thus entertainment far more enticing than the mid 90's when defense/wrestling/bodies flying was the norm (see boring Houston-NY finals 1995). So, in an interview, Scottie Pippen remarked that MJ could average in the 50's with the way refs are calling the game now. Maybe next season, the NBA could find some balance. What dya think guys?
